http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Renal denervation improves blood pressure and arterial stiffness in patients with therapy resistant hypertension, according to research presented at ESC Congress 2012 by Mr Klaas Franzen from the University Hospital of Schleswig-Holstein. The findings suggest that renal denervation regenerates blood vessels and could reduce cardiovascular events. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-renal-denervation-blood-pressure-arterial.html Cardiology Mon, 27 Aug 2012 10:20:03 EST news265279875 Renal denervation leads to significant and sustained blood pressure reduction for up to 18 months in patients with treatment resistant hypertension, according to research presented at ESC Congress 2012. The new clinical data from the Symplicity HTN-2 randomized clinical trial were presented by principal investigator Dr Murray Esler at the scientific session, associate director of the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute of Melbourne, Australia and by Prof Böhm for the ESC Press Conference. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-renal-denervation-significant-sustained-blood.html Cardiology Mon, 27 Aug 2012 09:50:19 EST news265279811 Among patients with suspected or known coronary artery disease, use of a method that applies computational fluid dynamics to derive certain data from computed tomographic (CT) angiography demonstrated improved diagnostic accuracy vs. CT angiography alone for the diagnosis of ischemia, according to a study being published online by JAMA. The study is being released early to coincide with its presentation at the European Society of Cardiology Congress. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-diagnostic-potential-noninvasively-significant-coronary.html Cardiology Sun, 26 Aug 2012 04:30:01 EST news265172909 (HealthDay)—For patients with chronic liver disease who require an invasive procedure as part of their routine care, the oral thrombopoietin-receptor agonist eltrombopag reduces the need for platelet transfusions, but also results in an increased incidence of portal-vein thrombosis, according to a study published in the Aug. 23 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-pre-op-eltrombopag-platelet-transfusions.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 23 Aug 2012 15:40:02 EST news264954116 (HealthDay) -- Aspirin is still the first line of therapy for patients with unstable angina or non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI), and ticagrelor can be used in place of clopidogrel or prasugrel instead of aspirin or as a second antiplatelet agent, according to a report from the American College of Cardiology Foundation (ACCF)/American Heart Association (AHA) published online July 16 in Circulation. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-aspirin-first-line-therapy-unstable-anginanstemi.html Cardiology Tue, 17 Jul 2012 03:31:44 EST news261714695 Ticagrelor, a blood-thinning drug approved by the FDA in 2011, should be considered along with older blood thinners clopidogrel and prasugrel for treating patients who are experiencing chest pain or some heart attacks, according to joint updated guidelines issued by the American Heart Association (AHA) Task Force on Practice Guidelines and the American College of Cardiology (ACCF) Foundation. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-ahaaccf-guidelines-unstable-angina-blood-thinning.html Cardiology Mon, 16 Jul 2012 15:03:11 EST news261669774 (Medical Xpress) -- Endoscopic therapy was found to be effective for patients with chronic pancreatitis, according to researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, whose findings appear in the July issue of the Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-endoscopic-therapy-effective-treatment-chronic.html Inflammatory disorders Mon, 16 Jul 2012 10:09:13 EST news261652059 A study by researchers at Stanford University Medical Center has found that a popular weight-loss operation is safer and reduces hospital bills when done with minimally invasive techniques rather than open surgery, which requires a large abdominal incision. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-minimally-invasive-approach-weight-loss-surgery.html Surgery Mon, 18 Jun 2012 16:00:06 EST news259249184 Liposuction is a novel and minimally invasive procedure for treating persistent submental lymphedema in patients with previous head and neck cancer, according to an article published in the June 2012 issue of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-liposuction-submental-lymphedema-neck-cancer.html Surgery Tue, 12 Jun 2012 09:57:58 EST news258713870 (HealthDay) -- The public's common image of a Botox patient is a middle-aged woman hoping to look more youthful through the minimally invasive procedure. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-brotox-era.html Other Sat, 09 Jun 2012 06:11:46 EST news258441100 Aches and pains got you down? The way you walk could be wearing out parts of your body. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-movement-retraining-knee-pain-video.html Arthritis & Rheumatism Tue, 05 Jun 2012 08:10:40 EST news258102516 The most recent research released in June's Journal of Thoracic Oncology says molecular biomarkers in the tissue and fluid lining the lungs might be an additional predictive technique for lung cancer screening. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-marker-lining-lungs-diagnostic-technique.html Cancer Tue, 15 May 2012 13:46:04 EST news256308359 A team at the MedUni Vienna, headed by Sebastian Apprich of the University Department of Radiodiagnostics at the High-Field Magnetic Resonance Centre of Excellence, has now discovered in collaboration with the University Department of Orthopaedics that the quality of cartilage tissue can also be determined without an invasive procedure: with the assistance of diffusion weighted imaging in a 3-Tesla scanner cartilage quality can be assessed in a much less invasive way. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-quality-cartilage-tissue-surgery.html Arthritis & Rheumatism Wed, 04 Apr 2012 09:05:31 EST news252749123 The cost to place an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) increased by $844 per case after a new requirement from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) went into effect in February 2010, according to research presented today at the American College of Cardiology's 61st Annual Scientific Session. The Scientific Session, the premier cardiovascular medical meeting, brings cardiovascular professionals together to further advances in the field. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-medicaremedicaid-patient-outcomes-defibrillator-implants.html Cardiology Mon, 26 Mar 2012 10:14:13 EST news251975647 Patients diagnosed with aortic stenosis who are too sick for open-heart surgery have better survival rates and an improved quality of life after undergoing catheter-based heart valve replacement than if the patients had been treated with standard medical therapy, according to a study authored by a Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute physician based on results from a multicenter clinical trial. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-heart-patients-non-surgical-valve-standard.html Cardiology Mon, 26 Mar 2012 09:28:23 EST news251972890 Non-cardiac co-morbidities such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic kidney disease and frailty are the main predictors of late mortality after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), suggesting that patients with these conditions merit closer evaluation and follow-up, according to research presented today at the American College of Cardiology's 61st Annual Scientific Session. The Scientific Session, the premier cardiovascular medical meeting, brings cardiovascular professionals together to further advances in the field. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-long-term-outcomes-tavi-non-cardiac-co-morbidities.html Cardiology Mon, 26 Mar 2012 09:10:03 EST news251971787 In a small, preliminary trial, patients with infected necrotizing pancreatitis (severe form of the disease involving devitalized pancreatic tissue) who received a less-invasive procedure, endoscopic transgastric necrosectomy (removal of the pancreatic tissue), had an associated lower risk of major complications and death compared to patients who had surgical necrosectomy, according to a study in the March 14 issue of JAMA. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-endoscopic-procedure-result-outcomes-patients.html Inflammatory disorders Tue, 13 Mar 2012 16:00:07 EST news250869095 Four leading heart organizations representing cardiologists and cardiothoracic surgeons released initial recommendations today for creating and maintaining transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) programs. The recommendations are aimed at ensuring optimal care for patients with aortic stenosis, a form of valvular heart disease, as use of the new TAVR procedure grows. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-cardiovascular-societies-heart-valve-credentialing.html Cardiology Thu, 01 Mar 2012 15:17:28 EST news249837443 Updated appropriate use criteria released today offer detailed guidance on when to use an invasive procedure to improve blood flow to the heart and how to choose the best procedure for each patient. The clinical scenarios, written by a group of cardiologists and cardiac surgeons, affirm the role of revascularization for patients with acute coronary syndromes and significant symptoms. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-criteria-latest-scientific-blood-heart.html Cardiology Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:40:08 EST news247163986 A technique that delivers highly focused beams of radiation, known as Cyberknife, can relieve the stabbing pain of the facial nerve condition trigeminal neuralgia, indicates a small study published online in the Journal of NeuroInterventional Surgery. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-cyberknife-relieves-stabbing-pain-facial.html Neuroscience Fri, 27 Jan 2012 04:24:34 EST news246860664 The interventional cardiology team at the Montreal Heart Institute (MHI) recently conducted the first clinical procedure in Canada using the MitraClip system, which is designed to treat patients suffering from mitral valve failure, a very common heart defect that affects an estimated 1 out 5 people to various extents starting at the age of 55. The MHI has implemented a treatment program for this condition and so far is the centre that has performed the most procedures in Canada with the MitraClip system. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-simple-quality-life-thousands-patients.html Cardiology Thu, 15 Dec 2011 10:50:03 EST news243168594 A new study from researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and collaborators at various institutions, presented at the 2011 American Heart Association Scientific Sessions, shows that a novel, non-invasive measurement of arterial wave reflections may be able to predict who is most at risk for heart failure. The authors presented data from an ancillary study of the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-noninvasive-strong-predictor-heart-failure.html Cardiology Mon, 14 Nov 2011 16:02:10 EST news240508922 (Medical Xpress) -- New technology and innovations in genetic sequencing are dramatically changing the field of prenatal diagnosis and testing. Peter Benn, professor and director of the Diagnostic Human Genetics Laboratories at the Health Center, is at the forefront of researching and monitoring those changes and is known as an international expert on the topic. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-prenatal-screening-easier-ethical-issues.html Health Tue, 08 Nov 2011 09:27:30 EST news239966836 Patients with recent use of aspirin, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), or anti-clotting drugs such as clopidogreal (Plavix) do not appear to have an increased risk of bleeding during or after removal of precancerous lesions in the digestive tract, according to results of a Mayo Clinic study. The findings, culled from a review of 1,382 procedures of patients treated at Mayo Clinic in Florida, are being presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology in Washington, D.C. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-anti-clotting-drugs-gi-procedure.html Cardiology Tue, 01 Nov 2011 13:39:20 EST news239373550 Stem cell therapies hold enormous potential to address some of the most tragic illnesses, diseases, and tissue defects world-wide. However, the inability to target cells to tissues of interest poses a significant barrier to effective cell therapy. To address this hurdle, researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) have developed a platform approach to chemically incorporate homing receptors onto the surface of cells. This simple approach has the potential to improve the efficacy of many types of cell therapies by increasing the concentrations of cells at target locations in the body. These findings are published online in the journal Blood on Oct. 27, 2011. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-cells-home-specific-tissues-enable.html Medical research Thu, 27 Oct 2011 12:29:01 EST news238937326 Pulse oximetry, a non-invasive procedure that measures the amount of oxygen in the bloodstream, can be used as a screening tool to detect critical congenital heart disease (CCHD) in infants, and is more readily available than echocardiography, the current gold standard for CCHD diagnosis, according to a new research abstract presented Friday, Oct. 14, at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) National Conference and Exhibition (NCE) in Boston. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-pulse-oximetry-viable-screening-tool.html Cardiology Fri, 14 Oct 2011 04:33:51 EST news237785622 Among patients with acute coronary syndromes undergoing a procedure such as angioplasty, those who received platelet function tests before receiving antithrombotic therapy to determine appropriate clopidogrel dosing and who had high residual platelet reactivity (platelets resistant to antithrombotic therapy) were at an increased risk of an ischemic event at short- and long-term follow-up of up to 2 years, according to a study in the September 21 issue of JAMA. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-platelet-function-antithrombotic-treatment-pci.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 20 Sep 2011 17:00:38 EST news235756819 Many patients are responding to a new, minimally invasive way of treating irregular heartbeats by freezing out the bad cells. Atrial fibrillation (A-Fib) is one such heart rhythm disorder, and it's the most common arrhythmia affecting Americans. However, new research shows that 70 percent of patients with the disorder who were treated with cryoballoon ablation, the freezing technique, are free of any heart rhythm irregularities one year out from having the procedure. These results suggest that this minimally invasive procedure may be faster, safer and more effective than the commonly used approach of burning the cells in order to put the heart back into a normal rhythm pattern. Northwestern Memorial Hospital is the only hospital in the city of Chicago, and one of only three in the state of Illinois, performing this procedure. According to cardiologist, Bradley Knight, MD, the switch from "hot" to "cold" has been good for patients. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-desist-disabling-cardiac-cells-arrhythmia.html Cardiology Mon, 12 Sep 2011 16:54:01 EST news235065168 In cardiac care, the mantra is fast becoming circumstance, circumstance, circumstance. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-heart-overprescribed.html Medical research Tue, 02 Aug 2011 19:50:01 EST news231511618 A new procedure is now available for the treatment of chronic bowel incontinence, a disorder impacting the lives of more than 18 million Americans. The treatment, called InterStim Therapy is a minimally invasive procedure which uses electrical impulses to stimulate the sacral nerve and improve muscle function. It is one of the only effective long-term treatments for bowel incontinence available to patients and Northwestern Memorial Hospital is one of the first medical centers in the country to offer the procedure. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-therapy-millions-people-bowel-incontinence.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 18 Jul 2011 14:41:58 EST news230218877